“We couldn't have asked for a better World No.1 in women's tennis” - Tennis fans hail Iga Swiatek for stance on Russian participation in tennis

Iga Swiatek has been praised for her strong stance on the matter of allowing Russian and Belarusian players on the tennis tour. The Pole suggested that the tennis world could have made amends from the very beginning by banning players belonging to the aforementioned countries from competing.

In an interview with the BBC, Swiatek opened up about how the tennis world should have been 'doing better' in showing the world that they were against war.

"I feel like tennis, from the beginning, could do a bit better in showing everybody that tennis players are against the war." Swiatek stated

She further stated how German, Italian and Japanese players were banned after World War II and pointed out that something similar should have been done to send Russia a message that the war was not worth it.

"I heard that after World War Two, German players were not allowed as well as Japanese and Italian, and I feel like this kind of thing would show the Russian government that maybe it's not worth it" Swiatek stated

Swiatek's bold stance has garnered praise from fans all over the world for being one of the few players who has continuously spoken out against the war.

"We couldn't have asked for a better World No.1 in women's tennis," a fan tweeted.

"Bravo Iga!" another fan tweeted in support of the World No. 1.

See some more reactions to Swiatek's stance on disallowing Russian and Belarusian players here:

Iga Swiatek gearing up for the clay court season

Iga Swiatek at the 2022 French Open - Day Fourteen

On the tennis side of things, Iga Swiatek is gearing up for the upcoming clay court season, arguably her most successful surface.

Last year, the Pole won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Aryna Sabalenka in the final. The Pole is set to compete at Stuttgart this year to defend her title.

The World No. 1 also reigned supreme in last year's Italian Open final in Rome against Ons Jabeur 6-2, 6-2. The Pole then went on to capture the French Open title against America's Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-3.

Swiatek, who suffered a rib injury prior to this year's Miami Open, has let her fans know that she is gearing up for the clay court season after successfully completing her short injury layoff.

The 21-year-old took to Twitter to share a close-up image of her racquet on the clay court and captioned the image with red bricks, indicating her ongoing preparation on the surface.

Swiatek is also set to appear at the 2023 Mutua Madrid Open, slated to begin on April 26. Last year, Iga Swiatek withdrew from the tournament to rest herself, following which Ons Jabeur won the title by outclassing Jessica Pegula in the final.